PERSPECTIVES: A Glimpse Inside the Re-Vitalized Toy
Association of Southern California (TASC)
August 23, 2011 | Peter Wachtel, Chief
Creative KID/Owner & President @ KID Toyology and President of the
Toy Association of Southern California (TASC), recently spoke with TIA
editors and offered the following thoughts on the resurgence of TASC,
its activities and what’s in store for the organization.
Did You
Know?
Collectively, toy companies, retailers,
wholesalers and distributors account for an estimated 85,430 jobs in
California, business taxes in excess of $1.1 Billion and a total
economic impact of more than $15.8 Billion.
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The Toy Association of Southern California (TASC) is actually 15 years
old, but within the past few years the Association has gained new
relevance as toy businesses in the area have expanded and the industry
as a whole has had a greater impact on the state’s
economy. As California – especially the southern part
of the state – became home to so many members of our community,
the need for a strong and organized West Coast presence became even more
important.
TASC’s goals have expanded over time to keep pace with changing
needs. Today, our overall mission is to connect toy manufacturers,
distributors, sales and marketing executives and designers and inventors
in southern California and provide them with important information to
help them grow their businesses.
Basically, if you have something to do with toys and you’re in
southern California, TASC is a great group to be a part
of. We are working to broaden our members’
knowledge of the toy industry, to mentor companies of all sizes on the
different aspects of the industry, and to help grow the industry in
terms of revenue and the creation of new companies and jobs.
The toy industry has a great story to tell. And we want to make
the public more aware of the great contributions made by our
industry: from foundations and charity to great creativity and
innovation in design. We want people to associate toys with
fun!
We are proud to work in partnership with groups like the Toy Industry
Association (TIA) and Women in Toys (WIT) to accomplish these
goals. On October 27th, for example, TASC and WIT are teaming up
to hold an educational and networking event at the Otis College of Art
and Design in Los Angeles that will provide toy industry stakeholders
with information about selling toys in a tough economy and reaching new
markets through social media. TIA’s president and
WIT’s president will each be on our panel of speakers.
The “Toy Trends and Social Networking” program in October
will arm both large and small companies with new ideas and strategies to
navigate through tough economic times. This event, and
others like it, is designed to help companies run things more smoothly,
no matter what size toy company you are – from Mom and Pop Stores
to Fortune 500 companies. The toy industry is like a big family,
and we’re all battling the same issues. It’s neat to
come together at an event like this and see people from every walk of
life and every level of employment – from a designer all the way
up to the president of a company – all mingling together.
Some really fantastic ideas and strategies are bound to come out of that
interaction.
Whether you are local or just visiting LA in late October, we invite
everyone to attend, mingle and learn!
“Toy Trends and Social Networking” will take place
Thursday, October 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Speakers include Carter
Keithley (President, Toy Industry Association), Suzanna Mills-Winkler
(President, Dynamic Designworks Inc.), Victoria Cushey (VP, Marketing
and Business Development at Dynamic Designworks Inc) and Joan Luks
(President, WIT). The event is $25 for members of TASC, WIT and TIA and
$50 for non-members. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be
served. For more information and to register, please contact Yvette Nunez (212-763-2520
ext. 227).
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